Coronation Street fans will see Roy Cropper’s loved ones cross the line next week, as he continues to sit on a big secret. With the kindly café owner acting strangely, what doesn’t he want the rest of the Street to know? Roy has sparked concern in recent weeks, with the news that he’s been writing to prisoners as part of a pen pal scheme.

The fan favourite explained that, after being in jail himself not so long ago, he was keen to help those who feel isolated behind bars. He’s even been writing to the mother of one particular prisoner, but kept tight-lipped over further details.

Next week, though, Roy’s secretive behaviour goes into overdrive – so concerned Nina Lucas is keen to get to the bottom of her uncle’s unusual behaviour.

“Roy is the person everyone turns to in a crisis,” notes our Corrie source. “But if he has a problem, who can he confide in?

“Royston is a private man who finds it hard to open up, so something serious must be going on that’s simply too difficult to talk about…”

Worries for Roy begin when customers clock he’s acting more flustered than usual. Nina admits to colleague Shona Platt that Roy’s mood darkened earlier that morning when he received a letter in the post.

The correspondence appeared to immediately unnerve him, sparking Nina’s curiosity about the contents of the letter.

Shona is intrigued and hatches a plan with Nina to find out why Roy was so spooked. Is someone sending him malicious mail? Has the prison pen pal scheme gone wrong? Or has he got himself into trouble and is too embarrassed to come clean about it?

Taking the bull by the horns, brash Shona decides there’s only one way to solve this mystery – but soon regrets her strategy.

“In typical Shona fashion she does something very impulsive,” reveals our insider. “When Roy’s not looking she starts rifling through his post to find the letter.

“Unfortunately, Roy appears and catches her in the act.”

Shona is mortified as angry Roy rails at her. Will he finally own up about the mystery letter, or continue to suffer in silence?